Automobile-chassis.



R. MOA. LLOYD. AUTOMOBILE CHASSIS. APPLIO'ATIQN FILED APR. 20, 1908.

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4 I 1 5. 5 w n 9 v R. McA. LLOYD. AUTOMOBILE CHASSIS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 190B.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

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UNITED STATES rATENT olrrron. I

ROBERT MCA. LLOYD, oro -sTER BAY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL VEHICLE To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LRoBER'r McA. LLOYD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oyster Bay, county of Nassau, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Chassis, of which the following is a specificationi My invention relates to motorvehicles, and partlcularly to the chassis of Vehicles which are driven by electric motors. 7

It 1s an object of my invention to provide anew and improvedconstruction of chassis in which the various parts of the driving mechanism, rear aXle and frame, are so arranged wlth reference to, one another as to permit easy assembling and disassembling and all necessary 'adjustability, whileat the same time these parts are-securely retained certain parts being broken away, of the rear end of a motor vehicle chassis in which my invention is embodied; Fig. 2 is a side elevation taken on the line 22,' of Fig. 1 part of the frame of the vehicle being broken away to show the manner inwhich the motor is supported; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view through the side frame of the Vehicle showing the manner in which the counter-shaft housing is supported therein; Fi d is a detailview in cross-see tion on the li ofFig.1 fl

Referring to the drawings, the rear end of the main framed the chassis is shown as made up of side members and Ill-and an end member 12, all of which may be composed of channel iron ofthe form shown in cross-section inFig. 3, these being secured together at the corners in any suitable n1an her. The rear axle ofthe vehicle, w.hich in this case does'not rotate, is shown at, 13.-

The rear end of t hevehicle body is supported upon this axle through springs 14, which at their nds are secureiflto links pivoted on bracl ets 16 secured to the side members of shown in the drawing orof any other sill table COMPANY,- ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

I Specification of Letters Patent. Applicationfiled April 20, 1908. Serial No. 428,234.

.after referred to, and lifting the b,

no 4-4 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a detail cross-sectional view on the line 5-5 AUTOMOBILE-CHASSIS.

Patented Au to, 1909.

design. The middle of the springs 14 are secured to the axle 13 by means of straps 17 which pass through blocks 18, secured to said axle, and are provided ontheir ends with nuts 19. Wheels 20,-of any suitable design,

are mounted uponthe ends of the axle 13 and are arranged for rotation thereon. Secured vto-the inner face of each of the wheels 20 is a sprocket wheel 21 upon which a driving chain runs, as hereinafter described. Any suitable form of brake may be applied to the wheels 20, a portion of one form being shown in the drawing at 22, which, however, will not be described, since it forms no part of my invention. The driving motor 25 is hung from a bar 26 which may be of channel iron of the form shown in Figs. 1,2 and 5. This bar 26 is provided at its ends with extensions 27 which rest in cavities in brackets28 secured to the inside of the side members 10 and"11, as clearly. shown in the drawings. With this construction the motor is pivotally hung in the frame and can be easily driving chain'and the distance ,reds herein- Q up and out of the brackets 28.1

Mounted in brackets 30, secured side members 10' and 11, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is a housing 31 within which is supported a counter-shaft 32. This housing removed .therefrom by edisconnecting its and counter-shaft may be of anysuitable and well-known form and is feferably'provlded'wlth a differential driving mechanism 33 of any suitable kind. The housing 31 is; supported in the brackets 30 by means of a ball and socket arrangement which ermits easy 'ahnement of the houslng 1n. sa1 brackets and prevents straining of the same u on the movement of the side members 10 an 11 with'reference to one another, due to racking of the frame. This ball and sooketarranger ment will be understood from i Fig. 3. A

sleeve 34 having a spherical outer surface surrounds and is secured to the housing 31,

and this sleeve 34 is located in a cavity in the bracket 30 lined with babbitt as shown at 35. W'ith this'arrangement aiicurate machining of the opening through thebrackets' 30 is unnecessary,sincethe internal s herical contourof these holes is given by t e babbitted lining which is cast therein after the parts The brackets 30 being made are assembled. I in two parts bolted together by bolts 36 as shown in Fig. 2, the sleeve 34 can be clamped therein. Between the housing 31 and the frame of the motor 25 are one or, as in this case, two distance rods 37 by which the position'of the motor with reference tothe coun-- ter-shaft and the tension of the driving chain 38 which runs between the motor shaft and the differential driving mechanism 33 may be adjusted.'- These dlstance rodsv 37 at one end-screw into lugs 39 projecting fromcol late 40 rotatable on the housing 31 but securedfrom longitudinal movement thereon by fixed collars 41. Lock nuts 42 which screw against the ends of the lugs 39 may be 1' casing, an preferably have a ball and socket.

'- used to msurethe distance rods '37 remaining.

at any .efiective length to which they are adjusted. The other ends of the distance rods 37 have a ivotalconnection with themotor connection such as that best shown in 5.

Inthis construction a cup-shaped member 43 y is secured to the outside of the motor casing andfthe ball-shaped end 44 of the-distance rod'j37 is maintained in a spherical shaped cavity in the member43 b means of a nut. 44- of theform shown whio may beis'cr'ewed'.

into or be therwise secured in the cavity of themem 'er43. Sprockets 45 are secured in anysuitable manner to .the ends of the counter-shaft .32 and chains 46 connect these sprockets 'with the sprockets 21 secured to Y Inorder to control the movement of the axle 13..with referencc'to "the counter-shaft 32 and to provide for the ad'ustment' of the tension in the chairis46, ra ius rods 47 are provided similar'in form-to the distance rods 37,- above described. The connection be' tween the radius .rods 47 and the housing 31 of the counter-shaftmay be'exactl the same as" that of the distance rods 37 wit the housing, and in the drawings is so shown. The

connection. of the other ends of the radius rods 47, with the .axle 13 is very similar to that between theends of the distance rods 37 and emotor casing, as will be apparent from: i .4which shows. in cross-section the connection-between'the rods 47 and the axle.

isconnection consists of a collar. 48 fixed .to the axle 13,: in anysuitablelmanner, said collar being provided with a lug 49 having a spherical cavit into. which ts the balls aped end of t e rod'47. The nut 50 serves to maintain the end of the rod 47 in the. cavity in the lug 49 in the same manner as the asshowninFig.5.

With he construction, above descnbed and shown inthe drawings,-it is ap arent n'uts'44 act n connection with'the rods 37,

that the motor may be easily remove from the frame simply byremovmg the nuts .44

' and thereb disconnecting the distance rods 37, after'w 'chthe chain 38 may be removed from the sprocket on the end of the .moto'r shaft without openin the chain. Repairs to the motor are thus acilitated. Any slack radius rods 47.

. even which may occur in the driving chain 38 may' be easily taken up by adjustment of the distance rods 37, and the tension of the chains 46 may be regulated by adjustment of the The connections between the ends of .these rods and parts to which they are secured are such that no straining -o1' bendin ofthe rodsoccurs during adjust- -ment.

T e radius rods 47 insure that the axle 13 can move with reference to the counter-shaft 32 only in the arc of a circle of which the counter-shaft is the center, thereby preventing any change in the tension of the chains46 as theaxle 13 moveswith reference to the frame under the influence of unthe rods 47 with the housin 31 and the axle 13 allpw this movement wit out uttinfi any bending. strain 'upon the parts. he be and socket mounting of the housingi'gl in the brackets 30 permits easy assemb g ofthese parts and insures the mounting of the housing in the'frame in the position which it naturally assumes without. putting it under any bending strain.

-Whil I have'shown" but one form in which my invention maybe embodied, I do not wish tobe understood as limiting myselfto this exact construction except as called for by the terms of the appended claims.

WhatI claim as new and desire to secure places in the road. The connections of by Letters Patent of the United States, is,"

1. Incombination in a motor vehicle, a frame, wheels and a' wheel axle, s rings for supporting said frame on said ax e so. as to permitit 'to move both vertically and hori zontally with reference to said axle, a motor .pivotally hung fronijsaid frame, a countershaft, -a housingtherefor arranged to support said countershaft'in a fixed position wit refable distance rod betweensaid motor and said housing for adjusting the position of said motor and thereby r egulating the tension in said driving chain, pivotal connections between the ends of said distance rod, and the motor and thet'muntershaft housing drivin chains between said countershaft and said wheels, adjustable radius rods between said axle and said housing, and pivotal connections between the ends of said radius rods and the wheel axle and the housing.

2. In combination in a motor vehicle a frame, wheel and a wheel axle, springs for and said housing for adjusting the position adjustable distance rod between said motor T05 er'ence to said frame, a driving chain between said motor and'said countershaft, an ad ustof said motor and thereby reguiatin the tenuniversal connection between said radius 10 sion in said driving chain, a pivota connecrods and the wheel ,exle.

tion between said distance rod and said hous In witness whereof, I have hereunto set mg, a universal connection between'said dismyhand this 16th day of April, 1908.

v tance rod and said motor, driving chainsbc- ROBERT LLOYD said housing,' pivotal connections between,

tween said countershaft and said wheels, adjustable radiusrods between said axle and Witnesses:

J i HOWARD HANSON,

? said distance rods and said housing, and a i I ELLEN M. CROWE. 

